Using Alpaca on Android

Last updated: 2026-10-31

Once Alpaca is set up, it works quietly in the background. This page shows you how to change what it helps filter and where to find everything else.

Turning protection on and off

The switch at the top of the Alpaca home screen turns protection on and off. The home screen always tells you where things stand:

Family Protected: protection is on.
Protection Paused: protection is paused for now. Tap Resume Protection to turn it back on.
Protection Off: protection is off. Tap Turn On to switch it back on.

You can also disconnect Alpaca in Android's Settings › Network & internet › VPN, but the switch in the Alpaca app is the simplest way.

After you restart the device, protection comes back on by itself once you unlock it. After Alpaca updates, open the app once so protection can start again.

Basic and Expert mode

Alpaca has two ways to choose what to filter. You picked one during setup.

Basic shows a handful of simple tiles: Threats & Malware, Adult Content, Ads & Tracking, Social Media, Gambling and Drugs. Tap a tile to turn it on or off. Some tiles also let you choose how strict the filtering is.
Expert shows every category, grouped by topic, plus the ready-made presets below.

If you're not sure, Basic covers what most families need.

Presets

Presets are ready-made combinations of categories. In Expert mode you can pick one as a starting point and then adjust individual categories.

The six presets are Minimal, Standard, Family, Lockdown, Privacy and Gaming. Standard is the default and the one we recommend for most families.

Lockdown may also block VPN apps and some work apps. Privacy may stop some Apple and Microsoft services from working properly. If something stops working after you choose one of these, try Standard instead.

In Expert mode you can choose individual categories, such as particular social networks, AI apps and games. For example, you can help filter TikTok or Roblox while leaving everything else as it is.

For the full list of services you can choose, see What Alpaca can filter.

Exceptions

Some popular apps rely on addresses that strict filtering can catch. In Settings › Exceptions you'll find a short list of switches that help keep those features working, for example:

Facebook and Instagram comments
Log in with Facebook
WhatsApp
LinkedIn embeds and sign-in

These switches are fixed. You can't add your own websites to an allow list or a block list on Android. If a website you need won't load, see Troubleshooting.

Statistics

The Statistics screen shows what Alpaca has been doing on this device:

This device: Blocked today, Queries today and All-time blocked
History: how activity changes over time
Most blocked: the addresses Alpaca filtered most often

Statistics are stored only on the device. Domain names are kept for 30 days.

Add the Alpaca widget to your home screen to see at a glance whether protection is on. Tap the widget to turn protection on or off without opening the app.

To add it, touch and hold an empty space on your home screen, choose Widgets, and look for Alpaca. The exact steps differ a little between phone makers.

DNS resolver

Alpaca filters on the device, then sends the lookups it allows to a DNS resolver. You can choose which one:

System resolver (the default): whatever your network or phone already uses
Cloudflare
Google
Quad9
Custom: enter an address starting with https:// or an IP address, then tap Test and use. Alpaca saves it only after the test succeeds.

Filtering works the same whichever resolver you choose. If you're not sure, leave it on System resolver. You don't need to change Android's own Private DNS setting for Alpaca to work.

App language

Alpaca for Android is available in English, German, Spanish, French and Chinese (Simplified). To change it, go to Settings › General › Language.

Your account

You need to be signed in to use Alpaca. In Settings you can manage your Passkeys, Sign Out or Delete Account. Signing out doesn't turn protection off on the device.